


Where She Went.

by TroubledMonster



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Angst and Humor, Romance, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-09-22 03:01:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9579524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TroubledMonster/pseuds/TroubledMonster
Summary: Jareth has been put in an impossible situation with our now 26 year old Sarah Williams. How will their adventure unfold? Sarah must find a way to accept what has happened, and Jareth as well. Sarah can't go back, only forward.





	1. Anywhere But Here.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Story! I've tried to nab any major mistakes, but this writing is all in good fun for me. So please excuse any I may have missed!

Where She Went.  
Chapter One.  
Anywhere But Here.

 

She felt heavy. Heavy and tired. She shifted slightly and turned her head to the side and shivered. A thick comforter was drawn up to her chin and despite the comfort of the bed she was laying in, she was cold. She slowly sat up and blinked against the dim light in her room. Wait, this wasn't her room at all. As her eyes adjusted slowly, the shapes of the room started to make sense.

It was a large room with a high ceiling. Thick rugs covered a stone floor and heavy curtains framed tall windows. A chandelier dotted with dozens of candles among the center of the room as well. A vanity with a mirror stared at her from the opposite wall along with sever closed doorways. She noted she was lying on a large, plush canopy bed. The forest green and gold shades across the spacious room were lovely, even in the dim light.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and was stiff standing up. She felt as if she had been asleep longer then normal.

"Is anyone here?" Sarah called out in a soft voice. She didn't recognize this room at all. Taking a few timid steps across the room she caught her reflection in the mirror. She was in a dark grey gown. It had a squared neckline and simple embroidery. The dress skimmed quietly across the floor. She also wore stocking, but no shoes. She rubbed the material between her fingers as to see if the girl in the mirror was actually herself.

'This has to be dream,' Sarah thought to herself.

Trying to shake her mind free of what was around her and figure out just how she got here in the first place, she moved on. Yet everything was fuzzy, she couldn't seem to put anything together. Frustrated, she stormed out the first door she came upon. It led her out into a tall, long hallway. More rugs and tapestries lined the hall with soft wax candles burning cheerfully in holders mounted on the stonewalls. She looked left and right, neither seeming more appealing then the other.

'Left it is then,' Sarah thought to herself and she marched on forward. This place was beautiful, and quiet. The few painting she passed along the way was of nature scenes, most where places she didn't recognize. With no windows in sight, Sarah couldn't mark any time of night or day and she didn't like that. A small, nagging feeling began creeping into the back of her mind. To shove it away she walked faster, nearly sprinting. She finally came to another hallway that seemed to stretch on just like this one. Turning left again she sped down the hall and chose a door at random. Throwing herself inside, it was nothing but a dim stairwell that spiraled down. She swore she could hear her own breath echoing in the tight corridor that spun for what seemed like hours. A heavy wooden door greeted her and she pulled it open with a heave.

A gust of cool air blew her raven hair back, and she stepped outside. A large navy sky twinkled almost surreally above her with a moon that was much too large. Cobblestones laid in an uneven path led her into a garden with the most beautiful plants she had ever seen. Flowers in a rainbow of colors and endless shapes and sizes, sweet smelling vines and moonlight illuminating it all. Sarah had to stop and admire it all, it was all too unearthly. Alluring, but foreign, it did nothing to easy the tiny thought that continued to grow in the back of her mind.

She approached a pale gold bulb and reached out to touch it. The vine the flower rested on shifted and let loose several smaller stands to caress Sarah's hand. She jerked her hand back but the plants did nothing to hold her.

"What are you?" she asked aloud not really expecting an answer. She noted now several more vegetated inhabitants were leaning in her direction. Oddly enough, fear wasn't the first emotion to rush into her. She did however want to know where she was, and even though nothing around her was familiar, she had a clue.

She continued down the cobblestones and overflow of flowerets until the path opened into a large circle. Several tall shrubberies gave the circle a bit of privacy from whatever was on the other side. A stone-carved bench stood across the way, but otherwise that was it, a dead end. The cool breeze seemed to make its appearance once more and Sarah couldn't help but shiver this time. It was cool enough to see her breath. She turned to head back down the way she had came, to try to find someone, anyone to tell her what was going on. She got her wish right then and there.

Standing in the middle of the footpath she just came from was none other then the Goblin King. He looked very much the same as he had years ago. A wild mane of light blond hair and strange attire. He wore the same tight breeches, and over a dark collared shirt was a formal coat, nearly militant looking but in a deep grey. His mismatched eyes locked on her, but he made no more to come any closer.

Sarah must have let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, causing a puff of fog to form. Just for a moment, she thought maybe he would fade away with it, but he didn't, and there he still stood.

"Why am I here?" she asked quietly, taking him in. She meant for her voice to come out stronger, but it was quiet enough outside for the wind to carry her voice. "You brought me here…I wouldn't have come al-…why?"

Yet the Goblin King just stood there, looking her over like she might disappear.

"Answer me," she spoke. After another silent moment, he took a single step forward.

"You must be hungry. Come, we will get you something to eat."

With that he turned on his heal and began walking back. He didn't turn to see if she was following and that sparked a bit of annoyance into Sarah. She was hungry, and still a bit tired, though she wouldn't say that aloud. She let out a little huff and took pace behind him. They made it to the heavy wooden door again and it opened for the King with ease. He held it open and waved Sarah inside politely. She just stood, a little unease at getting much closer, but figured there wasn't much of a choice.

"You didn't answer me," she voiced as she passed him and stepped inside.

"I didn't." he agreed, Sarah swore she caught a ghost of a smile. "Dinner first, and then we may talk."

He strolled off again when Sarah realized the door hadn't taken them to the staircase she ventured down minutes ago. Another hallway with tall twin doors at the end lay before them. 'Figures' she mentally sighed. The doors at the end of the hall swung open soundlessly and a long dining table stretched out before them. Several plates covered with a verity of food were steaming and a single place was set at the head of the table. Jareth pulled out the high backed chair at the head of the table and looked expectantly at Sarah.

She curtly took the seat he offered and then sat to watch him quietly fill her plate with a little bit of everything on the table. He sat it down in front of her, and filled the goblet in front of her with water. He then sat down in the chair to the right of her and waited for her to begin eating.

"Please, eat," he was polite once more.

Sarah couldn't have been more uncomfortable if she tried. She was sure he had to be aware of it. She tried not to look at him as she put a small forkful of food in her mouth. Once she chewed and swallowed, she became aware of just how hungry she really was. She felt like she was starving, but ate slowly, avoiding the King's eye contact. Sarah still had managed to clear her plate faster then she would have liked. She took a drink of the cool water from her goblet a leaned back a bit from the table.

"Sarah please, eat as much as you like. It is for you," he coaxed as if he was reading her mind. A small blush crept across her face as she simple reached to the nearest platter and grabbed a pastry of some sort and began nibbling on that. She wanted her head to be much clearer then it was, it was making it hard to focus and keep her composure.

"I want to know why I'm here Goblin King," Sarah expressed after another bite.

"Jareth," he corrected her. She only nodded but wasn't quite ready to speak his name. It seemed too personal.

"I will answer you, but first, I need to know what you remember. Specifically the last thing you remember before you woke up here," he leaned in a little closer and waited.

"Well..." Sarah put down the last bit of food and tried to think. It was hard for her to concentrate, to recall whatever had happened. Suddenly, a little piece of the puzzle clicked into place. "I was at work, at Talia's. It's a bookstore a few blocks from my apartment. I clocked out, and left to go home. It was raining, and I opened my umbrella…" Sarah shook her head lightly. "And that's it. I don't think I remember anything else."

Jareth nodded once and leaned back a fraction. That seemed to appease him, or at least she hoped.

"Now it's your turn," she coaxed when he just appeared to be looking off into nothing. Her voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Right. Well, I am the one who brought you here. If I would have had any other choice, I would have let you be, but I didn't." Jareth folded his hands on the table like that explained it all.

"You have to give me more then that," Sarah growled out. "Why didn't you have a choice? You're not making any sense."

"I know things must feel off to you right now, you are probably very tired. You should rest," Jareth stood and walked over to pull her chair out again for her, but Sarah stood abruptly causing the chair to scrape across the floor.

"You can't expect me to just huddle back into the room and sleep right now! I want answers Jareth," his name felt odd on her tongue, but she brushed it away with her irritation. "When can I go home?" Her heart skipped a beat.

"You do not want me to answer that right now, I am sure," Jareth clasped his hand behind his back almost apologetically.

Sarah froze for a moment, he didn't have to answer. She was sure she already knew from the way he spoke. She started to turn from him, but then took a few fast paces towards him.

"I can't go back?" she asked finally. "Can I ever go back?"

"I'm afraid not," he said emotionlessly.

Angry tears threatened to spill over the brims of her eyes. Not wanting him to see her cry, she shoved past him roughly and quickly walked out the doors. The halls seemed to have changed once more, though she had no idea of which way to go anyhow. She stormed down the hall way and after a turn or two, noticed a door that was cracked open slightly. Nearing it, she saw it was the room she had woken up in. Sarah ducked inside and closed the door with a small slam and leaned against it. A fireplace she hadn't noticed before crackled with a warm flame. It was the only sound she could hear.

'Stay here forever? I can't! I won't! He's insane…the nerve of him bringing me here. How did he even know where I was? This isn't fair.'

She decided to get a better look around what she assumed may be her room for a while. There were two other wooden doors in this room, as well as what looked to be windows covered by heavy curtains. One of the wooden doors led into a wardrobe stocked with dresses in many colors. Stockings, shoes, nightgowns and everything else one might need were neatly placed. Venturing back into the room, she crossed it to open the other door. A spacious bathroom in cream and gold tones shined. A massive claw footed tub sat in the center of the room. A mirrored vanity was to her left while shelves stocked with towels and colored glass bottles sat on her right.

Nearly dragging her feet back into the bedroom she sat back against the headboard of the bed. She wanted more answers, and it seemed apparent that they were not going to come easily. The thought of being in the Underground was frightening. How long had she been here? Did anyone know she was missing back home?

Before she could rattle her mind anymore, sleep seemed to come out of nowhere and she was dreaming.


	2. The Chance.

Where She Went.  
Chapter Two.  
The Chance.

 

Jareth sat in a high back chair facing the hearth that burned lowly in his room. He slumped forward, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose. Orange light washed away the dark shadows encasing the rest of the room. A light knocking stirred him only enough to wave a hand towards the door, letting it swing open silently.

“Jareth?” a soft voice called into the room before stepping in. A young woman padded softly across the floor and took the seat next to the Goblin King. “She’s asleep now.”

A short hum was all Jareth bothered to answer her with. The fire crackled lightly, which only left the air feeling heavier.

“You know, this could have all turned out much, much worse. All things considered, she’s nearly as good as new,” the woman smiled before letting out a long sigh.

“I know that,” Jareth snapped. “I’m sorry. I should be asking you how you are. Your exhausted, I know. I can’t thank you enough for helping me Violet; I didn’t know whom else to ask.”

“Well of course, you are my brother,” Violet assured him. She knew she was overexerted from the past few weeks, but Jareth was as well. His face appeared thinner, dark smudges sat under his eyes, and his entire persona was unsettled. She was certain she had never seen her brother so haggard before. She leaned over and gave him an affectionate squeeze on his forearm. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.”

“She is going to hate me. I told her she couldn’t return home when I found her this evening.” He hadn’t wanted their reunion to be what it was.

He had gone to check on her again just as twilight settled, but was dumbfounded to find her gone from her room. A quick scan of the castle had located her in the gardens. In the blink of an eye he was there, silently following Sarah as she made her way down the cobblestones. Her long, thick hair swayed lightly as she walked. She observed everything around her with reserved interest. Yet what was even more surprising was the fact she didn’t seem that shocked when she finally saw him. It let a small ray of hope shine though to Jareth, which was quickly snuffed out when he told her she couldn’t return home.

“You only told her the truth, she will come to understand in time,” Violet stood and stretched lightly.

“Go to bed, you need to rest, “ Jareth told her seriously.

“You need rest too,” his sister matched his tone.

“I’m going to bed as well.”

Violet ignored his lie and patted him on the shoulder as she made her way to the door with a quick goodnight. After a few moments of heavy silence, Jareth flicked his wrist which resulted in a thin, round crystal to sit atop his fingertips. An image formed of a girl sleeping soundly, her hair fanned haphazardly across her pillows.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sarah awoke to the sound of hushed bustling about. She halfway sat up brushing her hair away from her face lazily. Her attention quickly was caught when she noted a fair-haired girl setting a trey of food down on a near by table. Sarah sat up and swung her legs off the bed unsure of how to get the girls attention. She wore a maroon dress with long sleeves cuffed neatly at the end. Her ashy blond hair was braided loosely with whips of hair escaping everywhere. Despite that, when she turned to face Sarah, she was one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen. Her features were soft and pale, and her eyes seemed impossibly large.

“Good morning,” she beamed brightly at Sarah. She sidestepped the table and with a graceful display to show Sarah a trey full of several fruits and pastries. “I hope your hungry?”

“I’m starving, actually,” Sarah’s grumbling stomach assured that as she walked over and took a seat next to the table. Once she sat down she did glace around, then towards the door.

“Jareth will be here in a little while I think.”

“Oh,” Sarah said lamely as she picked up a muffin and bit off a piece. She really was hungry again, but tried to eat at an acceptable pace.

“You must be a little more then confused right now, but I hope your feeling well this morning? I’m Violet by the way.”

“Sarah, but I’m guessing you knew that already. I’m feeling fine, just a little tired I guess,” Sarah let out a small sigh and picked up a different pastry. Saying she was confused was an understatement. Right before she fell asleep last night, she was sure she would wake up this morning to find it all had been a dream. “What I would really like to do let my little brother know I’m alright.”

Violet’s face fell for just a moment. Of course she would want contact her family, which was only logical. Instead of answering Sarah, she picked up a piece of food and took a small bite out of it. The two ate in silence for several minutes as Sarah tried not to stare at her company.  
“Can you tell me at least why I’m here?” Sarah finally spoke up. Violet set her food down on a small plate and wrung her hands.

“I don’t know if I should be the ones to give you those answers, Sarah,” Violet answered honestly. “But I would like very much for us to be friends.”

Sarah just nodded. She hadn’t really expected any easy answers to come of this place. The last time she was here gave her enough sense for that, at least.

Violet abandoned her seat and made way for the heavy curtains on the far wall of the room. She tugged a thick braided cord and the curtains drew back illuminating the room in rich, warm sunlight. Sarah’s curiosity won the war against her hunger and she followed Violet over as she swung open a set of glass doors. A small sitting area with hammock like chairs we’re angled to give its user the best view.

“Um, wow,” Sarah whispered out. Without waiting for Violet, she walked out and up to the railing. Her eyes widened as she looked down, noting this was a balcony, several story up. Brilliant earth tones covered the land she looked out upon. Crisp fall leaves danced in unwritten patterns on the wind. Directly below her were gardens and walkways that stretched out to an iron gate that ran in different direction as far as Sarah could see. Near the horizon line, she could just make out a cluster of homes and buildings with swirling chimney smoke dissipating into the sky. Violet joined her and propped elbows on the railing, resting her chin in her hands easily.

“This doesn’t look anything like the last time I was here,” Sarah narrowed her eyes trying to see further.

“Well of course it doesn’t. You are not a runner this time,” Violet answered.

“What do you mean? A runner?” Sarah questioned.

“Last time you were here, you ran the Labyrinth. It was meant to be an ominous challenge. So, it showed you what was meant to challenge you. The Labyrinth, and the Goblin Kingdom for that matter, is very flexible. Whenever there is a runner, its adjust accordingly. Your not here to run the Labyrinth this time, so you’ll get to see the Underground in all its true wonder,” Violet smiled again at Sarah. Sarah couldn’t really help but smile back this time.

“Good Morning,” another voice rang out politely. Both girls turned around to see the Goblin King himself standing in the doorway. Simple black breeches and boots contrasted against his light grey poets shirt. Sarah was certain not a day had gone by since her first trip here by the looks of him.

“Good morning, brother,” Violet answered when Sarah failed to utter a peep. Jareth nodded but made no move to advance on them.

“He’s your brother?” Sarah exclaimed, and then snapped her jaw shut.

“Did I not mention that? I suppose I didn’t…but yes, Jareth is my older brother.”  
Violet spared one more look at Sarah before speaking again. “Well, you two have a bit to talk about, and I need to check up on a few things. If you need me, just call.”

Sarah would have asked her to stay just a moment ago, but even in the short time they had met, she couldn’t help but feel a slight betrayal at learned Violet was the younger sibling of the Goblin King himself.

“How are you feeling, Sarah?” his smooth voice carried straight to her ears. Even though he was standing ten or so feet away, she wouldn’t have known the difference if he has whispered those words in her ear.

“Dandy,” she replied flatly.

Jareth let a small smile creep up the side of his mouth at her answer. Even though she was all grown up now, she still kept her spark. Though he couldn’t mistake her for anyone else, she had changed in appearance since her last venture here. He was certain that was not all that was different as well. She wore the same gown from the night before, wrinkled from sleep. Her dark, heavy hair rested at her waist. Her body had taken on the shape of an adult. She had grown indeed.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” only then did Jareth walked to meet her. Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back around the rail. Jareth mirrored her stance, with both of their backs against the rail; he wouldn’t have to look her in the eye.

“Were you lying to me?” Sarah gave him a side glance. “Can I really not go home?”

“Let me start at the beginning, Sarah,” Jareth straightened his back a bit. “When you left the Labyrinth, things shifted back to normal. In your victory, you were allowed to return home with your younger brother. A gift not allotted to any other runner,” Jareth tilted his head for a moment in her direction before continuing. “The Underground has rules, rules that are nearly impossible to bend. Once you come to the Underground, you aren’t meant to ever leave. Yet, you have proven to be the example to that case. You went home, and returned to your life for…”

“Twelve years,” Sarah interjected.

“Yes, Twelve years,” Jareth agreed. This was the part he knew Sarah wouldn’t like. “Naturally, I checked in on you from time to time.” He didn’t have to say just how often that was. “As fate would have it, I found myself in a very precarious situation. You say the last thing you remember before waking up here was walking home in the rain. You may begin to remember the rest, you may not. But that’s exactly what you were doing when a man tried to snatch your bag from your shoulder. You attempted to push him away from, and when you screamed, he shot you.”

Jareth eyed her softly, calculating her reaction. He knew he’d have to tell her. It didn’t have to say it was one of the most horrifying moments in his existence. Sarah looked him in the eyes and held his stare, possible waiting for him to take back what he had said.

“I was shot? There is no way, I don’t remember that happening at all,” Sarah replayed the last memories she could over and over again, waiting for something to click. But nothing revealed itself aside from what she already knew.

“Right here,” Jareth said quietly as he pointed his index finger to her lower left rib. He let it hover just an inch away from her skin, but never looked away from her. “Several of your ribs shattered, and your other internal injuries were great.”

Sarah defensively placed a hand over the spot Jareth pointed at. She felt no pain there, and ran her hand across her middle.

“You have actually been here for almost three weeks, healing,” Jareth rushed out the words a little faster then he would have liked. “Violet is one of the best healers in the kingdom, and worked on you day and night. That is why your injuries are healed so well. You remained completely unconscious the entire time, even when we tried to wake you. We were not sure you were going to awake at all,” he told her truthfully.

“You brought me here? How did you even get to me? Why didn’t you take me to a hospital? There were a million other things you could have done then brought me here!” Sarah’s voice shook as she pieced together everything she could.

‘You are not a runner this time.’

‘In your victory, you were allowed to return home with your younger brother.’

‘Once you come to the Underground, you aren’t meant to ever leave.’

“So since you brought me here, I can’t go home?” Sarah asked slowly with an edge of anger.

“I couldn’t leave you there,” Jareth answered simply, looking down.

“You didn’t even try to find a way-“

“There wasn’t time!” Jareth raised his voice alarmingly. Sarah took a step back from him as tears hovered the seams of her eyes.

She turned his back to him, determined to not let him see the tears slip from her eyes. She dashed them away quickly with the back of her hand. It sounded crazy, completely insane. Why else would he bring her here after all this time?

“You’ve taken everything from me,” Sarah turned back to him and accused lowly. “How could you have possibly known for sure there was no other choice?”

Jareth regarded her quietly, at war with himself. He could lie, smudge some of the details in hope it would be easier on her. Unless of course, her memory did fully return, and that was something he didn’t want to have to atone for later. The truth would hurt, but it was the only way.

“As soon as I saw what happened, I left to find you. You were in a place I had never been, and I only had a vague awareness of where you may be. As soon as I did find you, you were fading out of consciousness.” The image flashed into Jareth's mind as he spoke. He sighed. “Would you care to see for yourself?” He walked to her, leaving a breath of space between them, and held up his gloved hand.

Sarah’s eyes darted from his flat palm, to his eyes, then back to his palm. Did she really want to know exactly what happened?

“You will see exactly as my eye’s saw. There is no trickery here,” Jareth’s honestly was undoubtedly believable with that statement. Sarah held her hand up, and pressed it against the soft leather of his gloved hand. Her eyes blurred as the scene played out so clearly in her mind, she was sure she could smell the rain.

Sarah lay flat on her back, one arm stretched out above her head, the other at her side with her discarded umbrella inches away. Rain pelted down on her form as dark red blood soaked through her blue shirt. Jareth dashed towards her and skidded to a stop, sinking down to his knees. “Sarah!” he brushed the hair from her face before sliding her shirt up to exposing her injury. Even the heavy rain couldn’t wash the blood away fast enough. Her skin began to ashen, her breathing hitched before becoming uneven.

He had no healing power of his own. He quickly formed a crystal orb on his hand.

“Please, let me bring her back.” He spoke into the crystal. After a moment, someone answered.

“You know that isn’t allowed, even for you, Goblin King,” it echoed.

“If not for me, then her! She is the Champion of the Labyrinth. If anyone has a right it is she!” Jareth called out, but the voice hesitated.

“I know vey well who she is. She is close to death, and I cannot heal her.” Sarah’s breath stopped for a moment, then started once more in an irregular pattern.

“Do you want me to beg?” the King cried out. “Fine! I’m begging you!”

“Even I am limited here.” The voice seemed to resound all around them. “You may take her back, but only on her last breath. That will be your only chance to take her.”

“But then she will be dead by the time we get back!” Jareth’s voice boomed in rage.

“That is your only chance,” it repeated with finality.

No one appeared to have heard the shot on the quite street they were on. The only sound was the rain pattering down all around them. They were both soaked to the bone. Jareth used his gloved hand to try and stop the flow of blood from the wound. It seeped past his fingers only to be diluted in the rain shower. Adrenaline pumped through Jareth, yet all he could do was kneel there beside her. Resting his free hand on her chest, the unsteady beat of her heart ghosted against his hand. How was he suppose to know when her was breath was until it was too late?

Her breath left her lunges, a moment, and she resumed breathing.

Another exhale, a longer moment, and a breath in.

A slow exhale, a small inhale.

‘I won’t let you go,’ Jareth whispered.

A long, slow exhale. Before another second could pass, they were both gone in a puff of stardust.

Sarah gasped as the connection broke and they both lowered their hands.

“You weren’t lying,” Sarah breathed out.

“I’m sorry, no,” the Goblin King quietly confirmed. “You can’t return because, at least in the ‘Above,’ your life has expired.”


	3. Not As It Once Was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kind words and such! I'm happy there are a few people out there who like to read whatever my mind has made up. Be kind to each other!
> 
> Happy reading.

Where She Went.

Chapter Three.

Not As It Once Was.

 

 

Sarah and Jareth stood without movement or words for what seemed like hours. Jareth politely kept his eyes downwards, and Sarah appeared to be staring at nothing at all. How does one take the news they have died? His heart ached for her, but it was simply out of his hands.

“What about my family? Toby must be so-“ Sarah just dropped her arms to her sides, not know what else to say.

“They believe you to be dead,” Jareth quietly spoke. He had honestly only bothered to look in on her family once, via a crystal. Her family home was filled with people dressed in dark clothing. Pictures of Sarah were framed and scattered across tables and counters. Candles flickered lightly among the pictures. It appeared to be a wake of sorts, and Jareth told her this much.

“Oh Toby,” Sarah let a fresh wave of hot tears trail down her face. How could she leave him all alone? Granted, he was thirteen years old now, but they were very close. Not a day went by they didn’t speak or see each other. Toby was different, just like Sarah was, and they had an understanding of each other that was irreplaceable.

“I’m very sorry, Sarah,” the Goblin King’s voice was remorseful, which only made the tears flow fuller. “It may not mean much now, but getting you here and bringing you back, was a Hail Mary. I did not know if it would work, or if we could bring you back.”

She asked Jareth to excuse her, and he left without a fuss. Sarah remained in her room thought out the rest of the day. Once evening came, a knock on the door drew Sarah from herself. Opening the heavy wooden door, Violet stood, once again, with a tray of food.

“Hungry?” she asked cheerfully, though her eyes were empathetic. Sarah shrugged and let her in. Setting the food down, she placed two teacups in front of them and began to pour steaming liquid out of an elegant teapot. While pouring Sarah’s cup, the teapot slipped from her hands, shattering into pieces and spilling the tea.

“Let me help!” Sarah grabbed the linen napkins and began pushing the pieces into a pile, while Violet blotted up the tea.

“Oh bother,” Violet said irritably as they worked. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No, really, it was an accident,” Sarah brushed off. “And its not my teapot anyways,” she added with a small laugh. Violet laughed along with her. Sarah gathered the pieces in the cloth and set them back on the tray. Only when Violet attempted to do the same, did Sarah notice the other girls hands were shaking.

 “Violet, are you alright?” Sarah asked pointing her eyes at Violets trembling hands.

“Oh, that,” Violet grimaced as she rubbed her wrist and flexed her fingers. “They’ve been doing that the past few weeks. It is a terrible inconvenience.” She shook her hands a few times.

“What causes it?” Sarah asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s really nothing to make a fuss over, it’ll stop shortly. That is the downside to being a healer I’m afraid,” Violet blanched for a moment before popping a bit of food in her mouth. Speaking around chews, she asked Sarah how she was feeling.

Sarah eyed her for a moment, and Violet squirmed under her stare.

“Does your hands shaking have anything to do with me? Jareth said you are the one who healed me when he brought me here,” Sarah leaned back slightly in her seat. Violet’s eyes darted to the door once before she rolled her eyes in defeat.

“Please don’t tell him I told you, he specifically asked me not to.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Being a healer is a rare gift, there are only a few in the entire kingdom. Very few people even know I have the ability. It’s always a gamble on what I can, and cannot heal, like you for example. Yet, with any amount of healing, it takes a large toll on the healer.” She signed heavily. “With the amount of injury, and the state you were in…I’ve never worked so hard on someone. It drained me to the point I had to use Jareths energy as well, and it tired him greatly as well. Some of the effects take a while to wear off. I did have tremors though out my entire body, but its subsided to just my hands. It shouldn’t be much long before they are back to their normal selves.”

Violet had done all that for her? She didn’t even know Sarah. Jareth also was carting to her emotional needs by making sure her situation was handled as delicately as possible. This was a lot for Sarah to wrap her head around, but she didn’t have much of a choice now did she?

“Thank you, Violet,” Sarah said sincerely. “I didn’t realize it cost you so much.” Violet waved her off impatiently.

“I knew who you were the moment I saw you, there was no way I would not have helped. Jareth was positively distraught and-“

“What?” Sarah set her food back down. “I mean, I’m sure seeing someone in my, er, predicament is shocking for anyone. The Goblin-, Jareth just seemed so level headed, I can’t imagine him panicking.”

Violet just shrugged and smiled thoughtfully.

“My brother…” Violet wasn’t sure what she should or shouldn’t say around Sarah. After all, she would only be giving Sarah her own opinions and views. Jareth had been different after Sarah’s first trip to the underground as a runner. While Violet was never permitted to watch the runners, she was a sneaky younger sister. She often caught Jareth staring into this crystal orbs watching a dark haired girl. Violet knew of the runners, and she may have squeezed a little information out of Jareth when she could. So when Jareth showed up with a raven haired girl covered in blood, and the look on his face, the sound of his voice, she knew this had to be _the_ girl.

“My brother is many things,” she concluded, clearing her head. “But I bet you’d like to get some fresh air right?”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The outside of the castle was beautiful. Even though the air was dry and crisp with the promise of fall, brightly colored flowers still lined the walkways. Small fountains poured into tranquil ponds, and large, strong trees loomed overhead, dusting them will leaves ever so often. Sarah took a deep breath in of the fresh air.

“I like this time of year, but it makes me a little sad sometimes too.” Violet saw down on a large, round rock.

”Why’s that?” Sarah joined her.

“Winter’s in the Underground tend to be pretty, brutal. It feels like forever before spring,” Violet sighed.

Sarah had often loved winter. The quiet snow falling, frozen lakes, fires…she wondered what winter here would truly bring.

“Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty,” a slender girl with pointed ears and a tiny nose appeared from where they had come from. “Your needed in the east wing.”

“Oh drat,” Violet stood. “Sorry Sarah, I suppose I should see what is needed of me. Will you be aright here?”

“Of course, don’t let me keep you,” Sarah stood and dusted off her dress. Oh what she wouldn’t give for a pair of jeans! The two disappeared around the corner.

Sarah spent the better part of the day walking the castle grounds. She did wish she had a jacket as the breeze danced over her, giving her Goosebumps. She was surprised that she didn’t seem to run into anyone else. For being such a large place, you’d think there would be more people around.

Jareth watched her from a branch high up in a tree. His owl head turned to follow her along the paths, watching the wind billow her hair around. Being able to transform into an owl was a handy trick indeed.

It was a very tragic thing to happen to Sarah Williams. Yet, if this had happened to anyone other then her, there was most likely nothing he could have done. So in a sick way, he couldn’t help but he a little…content? Happy? It felt wrong to think of her aboveground ‘death’ as anything but sad and awful. Shaking his head clear, he swooped down and transformed a distance away from her. She was crouched down in front of a pond, watching the calico printed fish swirl around slowly.

Jareth walked up silently behind her and cleared his throat. Sarah stumbled up, nearly tripping herself over her skirts. She cleared her own throat and stuck her chin out defensively. Jareth noticed.

“How have you like the outside? It’s very different, isn’t it?” Jareth asked casually. Sarah relaxed slightly.

“It’s nice,” she gestured around them. “It certainly doesn’t look anything like my last visit. Violet explained it all to me. But…Where’s the Goblin City? 

“It’s a sort ride from here. You’ll find it too, has changed,” Jareth paced over to stand at the edge of the water with her. He was dressed in dark breeches, tall leather boots, and a grey poet shirt. A thick navy coat fit over his slender figure nicely. “I thought we could do a little sight seeing, if you are up for it?”

“Yes, please,” Sarah nearly groaned. A smile caught the edges of Jareths mouth.

“So eager to get away from the castle already?”

“Oh- that’s not how I meant for that to sound, but-“ Sarah rambled out, but Jareths hand stopped her.

“I was only kidding, Sarah,” he cocked his head at her. “It can get a bit drab around the castle from time to time.” He swirled his hand around and produced a dark maroon cloak, seemingly out of thing air. “Best not let you catch a chill.”

He draped it across her shoulders. Sarah tied the drawstrings together.

“Thank you,” she nodded, genuinely grateful.

“Come, the carriage should be drawn up,” he waved her along down another path.

The carriage was made of study, elegant wood. It was painted darkly with golden trim. The driver seemed to be of the same species as the girl who called away Violet. Jareth explained a carriage ride seemed the best way to survey the scenery as her handed her into the carriage. The horse lurched them forward as they set off. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Jareth began pointing out landmarks and various mountain ranges.

“And just over there, is the Kingdom of Eau, they are the nearest kingdom to the labyrinth,” Jareth explained as he pointed east. “We have been a friendly terms with the Eau rulers for my entire reign.”

“Are there any near by kingdoms you aren’t on friendly terms with?” Sarah asked leaning back in her seat.

“A few, but its nothing for you to worry yourself about. Relatively safe here in my kingdom.” Jareth crossed his arms.

“Relatively?” Sarah questioned with a raised brow. Jareth gave her the slightest shrug.

“Many creatures live here in the Underground, it’s always better to keeps your wits about you, depending on where you are. The castle, for example, is fully protected. As are much of the grounds surrounding it.”

The idly talked through the rest of the ride. Sarah heard the city before she saw it. As they crested over a hilltop, it came into view. Shop front lined cobblestone walkways. Tents with food and good crammed into wherever they could find room. The streets were full of creatures big and small. Some, Sarah recognized right off the bat. Elves, Goblins, troll like creatures, and a large amount of people who shared the same unearthly traits as Jareth. These people were Fae, she knew that much.

The horse whinnied as they stopped, and the coachman opened the door. Jareth stepped out, and handed Sarah down the step.

“Welcome to the Goblin City,” he said with a slight flourish.

“It’s amazing,” Sarah said truthfully as they strolled down the first street. Colorful fabrics hung from merchant booths, the smell of food and spices breezed past them, and a variety of trinkets sparkled and clinked.

“Anything catch your eye?” Jareth asked her as he watched her browse over the booths.

“Oh, no,” Sarah stepped back. “I just recognize of a few of theses things. This, “she pointed to a small round item, “It’s a compact. It holds makeup, and typically a small mirror. This is an alarm clock, and electronic one. And this, is a lens cap from a camera. How do these things get here?”

“Any number of ways really. I couldn’t say for certain. But trade of human objects tends to be very popular among the Goblin City,” Jareth answered.

“Anything you’d like to see closer, my Lady?” asked the man behind the counter, if you could call him that. He was tall, and impossibly thin. His bark like skin did nothing to diminish his friendly smile.

“No, thank you,” Sarah answered before backing away from the booth with Jareth. She didn’t miss the man craning his head out to watch them leave. As the pasted further into the city, Sarah noticed more then one lingering gaze.

“Is it only me, or are several-“

“Are they staring?” Jareth cut her off with a side glance and a smile. “Well yes, they are. It’s not everyday they all get to see a human, much less a human escorted by their King. They mean you no harm.”

“They never see humans? What about the ones that run the Labyrinth?” Sarah tried not to stare back as a child no taller then her waist looked at her with pitch black eyes. Ebony skin and her dark pixy like hair made it almost impossible to not look back.

“Human’s running the Labyrinth are a very rare thing. Only small selections of Underground inhabitants are to be exposed to them.”

“Oh! That’s right!” Sarah halted and looked expectantly at him. “Can I see Hoggle? And the others?”

A fresh wave of guilt washed over her as she realized she hadn’t even thought of finding her friends since waking here. So much had happened; it had been such a long time. It would be nice to have some familiar faces around. Adapting here with her friends would mean a great deal to her.

“Jareth?” Sarah furrowed her brow. Jareth was looking down at her, the lighthearted features on his face from the day replaced by…pity? “Jareth, where are my friends?”

Jareth looked anywhere but Sarah’s eyes. Warring with himself, he knew he couldn’t lie to her, but was not looking forward to explain it to her either. It was only logical that she would seek out her friends soon; of course that is what she would want. This was something he wouldn’t be able to spare her.

“You may see them, but…”Jareth struggled with his words, wanting more then anything for her to stop looking at him the way she was. “…I should just show you.”

Jareth offered her his arm, and she took it, more to make sure she didn’t look him in the crowd. Within a few minutes, the volume of market goers slowed. Several more minutes, and just a few people dotted the walkways. Green hedges that were shaped cleanly twisted alongside them in a small Labyrinth of their own.

“This way,” Jareth mumbled out, Sarah still on his arm. They ducked into the hedge maze and made several haphazard like turns. They had reached the center, which was a spacious opening. An oval shaped pond glistened in the suns rays. Several stone pillars poured an endless stream of water into the pond.

Then she saw. She let herself go of Jareths arm and walked forward. Jareth hovered where they had entered, crossing his arms. Sarah approached the first stone statue. Sir Didymus sat atop Ambrosius, looking proud and noble. Sarah circled it once before looking to the next towering stone. Ludo stood, a curious expressions etched into his face. One cumbersome arm rested at his side, while the other reached out slightly. Finally Sarah arrived at the replica of one of her only true friends. Hoggle stood, looking slightly smug, complete with his bag of jewelry at his side. Sarah reached her hand out to stroke down the side of his stone face. She felt warm tears start to prick at her eyes.

“What happened to them?” she asked Jareth without turning around. He made no move to walk nearer to her. Though this was his kingdom, and he had a right more then anyone to do so, he felt like the intruder. Like this place should be for Sarah.

“This is them,” he answered her quietly. “They are the guardians of the Labyrinth. They only awaken when there is a runner in need of them. Once it is over, they return here, until they are needed again.”

“But I called for them,” Sarah turned to face Jareth as a fresh tear ran down the side of her face. Jareth stepped towards her.

“I’m sorry, Sarah,” Jareth felt as if he were saying a lot of that to her these past few days. Ever tear that fell from here eyes felt like a blow to his core.

“Will I ever get to talk to them again?” Sarah looked back at Hoggle.

“I’m not sure,” the last thing he wanted to do right now was make a promise to her that he couldn’t keep.

She at there a while longer, and Jareth made no attempt to have her leave a moment sooner. As the sun set lower in the sky, it cast golden beams along the top of the hedges and across the statues of her friends. The chill of night was swooping in, and Sarah pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself.

“Let’s go home,” she spoke looking at the setting sun.

Those three words would ring in Jareth’s mind forever.

 

 

 


	4. Hold On tightly, Let Go Lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kind words, as well as the Kudo's! Again, all of this is done, typically in the middle of the night. There are bound to be typos and such, if anyone is interested in editing, (which means you get to read the chapter before anyone else!) please message me.
> 
> Thanks Everyone, enjoy the story.

Where She Went.

Chapter Four.

Hold On Tightly, Let Go Lightly.

            

The next several weeks played out in a flexible schedule. Sarah would spend the biggest part of the day with Violet, unless she was needed somewhere. Jareth was rarely around during the daytime, Violet explaining she got the better end of the deal being the younger sibling. Sarah had also noticed the tremors in Violets hands still hadn’t completely gone away, but she didn’t question her on it. Though there were many things that still required her attendance as well as her brothers, Jareth was responsible for the grunt of the work. When Violet was called away, Sarah occupied her time exploring the never-ending halls of the castle, or the land outside. The evenings are when Jareth appeared. They typically had dinner together, and would remain in each other company for the remainder of the day.

Sarah had noticed herself becoming quiet comfortable in the Goblin King’s company. It was hard not to, when he was so accommodating. When she remarked of her lack of things to keep occupied with, he provided her with the castle library, along with an array of paint and pencils. She was given free reign of anywhere she wished, included the stables. She quickly was making friends with a dusty grey horse named ‘Enta’. This was not at what Sarah pictured her life to be, but she could have been much worse off.

One days like today, she found herself alone. Jareth and Violet both were called away for the day, and with the ever looming threat of winter on its way, Sarah was taking advantage of any nice day to be outside. She had tacked up Enta and walked him out of the barn into the sunshine. Sarah had ridden in high school, and was happy to have such a familiar hobby available to her. After several test runs over the past few weeks, Sarah had finally nailed down mounting the horse in a dress. Though she felt quite silly ridding in one, no one was ever around to see her. She had been given so much, asking for something as mundane as pants seemed trivial, so she would make do.

With a saddle bag full of bread and fruit, as well as a canteen of water, Sarah set off at a gentle trot with her four legged companion. Everyday she went out, she ventured a little further, or at least somewhere new. She still felt there was so much she hadn’t seen. Several beaten down paths ran through a thinned out forest. The trees were barren of most of their leaves, so keeping an eye on the castle in a distance wasn’t too much of a challenge.

Just before the castle dipped out of her view, Sarah caught a glimpse of water ahead. Enta must have seen it first, because the horse picked up its speed a notch. Sarah threw one last glance behind her as they approached the water. The horse dipped his head down to drink as Sarah looked over the water. It seemed to span on forever, the water so still it appeared like glass. A structure caught her eye, and she could only just make it out.

“What is that?” Sarah asked out loud, squinting to make out the shapes better. Her focus was cut short when Enta whipped his head up and turned so fast Sarah nearly fell off.

“Hey, it’s ok,” she shushed the horse. Something had spooked him. His ears were perked and forward, his body tense under her. Something unseen rattled a patch of shrubs, and that’s about all Enta would bear. He let out a noise of panic and reared back on his hind legs so fast that Sarah and her bag went flying into the shallow water. Enta bolted off in the direction they had rode in from, while Sarah tried to right herself in the two feet of water she landed in. Whatever had spooked her horse was still ahead of her, she heard leave crunch rapidly under scattered steps. She froze, and eyed the thicket, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. She noted she had nothing to arm herself with, and nowhere to hide. A growling sound began to rumble out from the thicket. Unexpectedly, a hand clamped gently over her mouth, and an arm snaked around her waist from behind. She tried to scream, but whoever had a hold over her just covered her airway, so no sound could escape.

 “Quiet, if you scream, they’ll all come running at once,” a man spoke into her ear in a rough whisper. His accent was so harsh, and she was so panicked, she almost didn’t process what he has said. “I’m going to pull you into the deeper water. There is a drop off, about five paces behind us. They cannot swim, but they can reach us here. If we stay below the surface for a minute or two, they should lose interest. I’m going to uncover your mouth, do not scream.”

 As the mystery man spoke, he began walking every so slowly backwards. He kept ahold on Sarah by her waist, and she could feel his breath brush past her ear. She had a million questions, but the growls began to grow louder, and the realization of what she was just told hit her.

 “I can hardly hold my breath for thirty seconds, I can’t stay under water that long,” she whispered out, keeping her eyes forward. It was an obvious statement, and she began to resist being pulled backwards.

 “I can breath for both of us,” the voice whispered back.

 Sarah didn’t have time for another single word. All at the same time, a blur of black and brown darted out from where they were hiding in the woods, and bound right for them. Sarah didn’t even have time to make out what the creatures were before she was wrenched back into the water and pulled down as fast as a sinking anchor. A good amount of her air escaped from the sheer force of being submerged so far. Opening her eyes out of panic she saw thrashing at the waters surface. Clawed paws slashed at the drop offs edge for several seconds. She guessed to be about fifteen to twenty foot from the surface. As her adrenaline decreased quickly, so did her air. She watched valuable air bubble involuntarily towards the surface. Survival mode kicked in as her lungs began to burn. She made an attempt to kick towards the surface; she had to breath now, even if those creatures were up there. But a set of arms held her in place. She finally hit full panic and thrashed wildly against her restraint. Her last bit of air was forced from her body when the man turned her around to face him. Her hair floated around them, obscuring her view. Just as her body impulsed for her to suck in a gulp of water, a set of hands grabbed either sides of her face and lips locked over hers. Unwillingly breathing in, Sarah was stunned to find she was breathing in air instead of water.

 She blinked as her hair was cleared from her view. She was staring straight into the grey eyes that stared right back. Her body relaxed as the threat of nothing being able to breath was settled by the steady puffs of air moving into her lungs. He didn’t let go of her face, but Sarah braced her arms against is forearms. They hovered like that in the water for one minute, two, three, Sarah wasn’t sure. Her pointed ‘up’ with this eyes and provided Sarah with one last breath. He shifted his hands to move to her waist once more, and pulled her to the surface quicker then Sarah could have ever swam. Sarah inhaled deeply as the breeched the surface before. Reaching the drop off, she gained her footing. She scrambled to the shore and nearly fell to the ground, panting slightly.

 “See? I told you they’d go. Typically they don’t mean much harm, but I suspect they haven’t smelled anything like you in a very long time,” the rough voice pronounced each work carefully. Sarah looked up at the man standing before her.

 He had pearlescent skin that was nearly luminous, which was a striking contrast to his coal colored hair. Her wore a blue sleeveless vest and grey trousers. His ankles were wrapped in fraying strips of cloth, while he wore no shoes. A belt held a blade, a canteen, and small satchel at his waist.

 “Who are you?” Sarah pushed her dripping hair out of her face. With a slight flourish, he bowed respectfully from the waist.

 “Prince Kodiak, next in line for the Eau kingdom,” he gave her a genuine smile. “Might I ask who you may be?”

 “Sarah,” she answered simply.

 “You are human,” he affirmed.

 “All day, everyday,” Sarah shrugged. She glanced behind her before asking, “what were those things?”

 “Uluins, large cat like creatures that roam these woods. They are pack creatures, and you looked like easy prey.”

 “I suppose I should thank you, though I was certain I was going to drown for a moment,” Sarah wrung her hair out as she spoke. He knew she was human, he had said so himself. Granted, he wasn’t kidding when he said he would breath for both of them. Her face turned a slight shade of red.

 “I would not have let you drown,” he barked a laugh.

 “Then how-?”

 He cut her off as he stepped within arms reach of her and turned his head to the side. He tapped the space behind his ear with a single finger. Upon close inspection, she noticed several paper thin slits behind the vase of his ear. Gills. That’s when she also noticed the reflective pattern that lightly covered his skin, scales, every so small. Giving him a once over for anything else unusually, she noticed his toes appeared to be webbed, though the waters surface may have just been districting them.

 “You can breath underwater,” Sarah stated. Did this place hold no limits?

 “Just a perk of being an Okean,” Kodiak gave a flashing smile. He was incredibly handsome.

 Sarah just nodded once. She has no idea what else entailed with being a ‘okean’, but she was awfully tired of having no base of comparison with so many things here in the Underground. Her pride kept her from asking any further questions.

 “I suppose I should get going, “ she wrung out her dripping cloak. The wind blew a cool breeze over them, leaving her with goose bumps.

 “Of course, but if I may?” The prince rested a hand on Sarah’s arm, and instantly, beads of water withdrew from her cloths, hair and skin. They defied gravity to trail their way quickly to Kodiak’s hand. From there, they ran up his arm, and then down his body into the lake. Within just a few moments, Sarah was dry. Sarah must have had some sort of look on her face, because the prince let out another booming laugh.

 “Handy trick,” Sarah turned her hand over, inspecting it. Just then, a screech was heard from the sky. A white flash circled once overhead, before gracefully swooping down the ground. Before landing, the barn owl transformed into none other then the Goblin King himself.

 “Sarah,” he said with a small sigh of relief. “We were returning home when we spotted one of the stable horses running along the roadway. He was fully tacked up, so I knew he had to of had a rider. I’m glad I trusted my instincts. Are you alright?”

 “I’m fine, Enta got spooked by, whatever those things were,” Sarah guested with her hands, “but I’m alright.” She left out the whole underwater breathing experience. Jareth nodded and looked around Sarah.

 “Kodiak, I hope all is well? Sarah is a guest at my castle and has seemed to wander into your providence,” Jareth and Kodiak had a long standing relationship with their kingdoms, and would nearly call him a friend.

 “Any guest of the Goblin King is always welcome in my kingdom,” Kodiak comfirmed and gave Sarah another smile.

 “We should be off though,” Jareth nodded in the direction of his castle. Sarah walked to his side and turned back to the prince.

 “Thank you again.”

 “Of course. Jareth, I hope to see you both at the Harvest Festival,” he bowed his head and waved. He then turned and sank below the waters surface, hardly disturbing it. Sarah could help but stare.

 “So there is a whole entire kingdom of…merpeople here?” She asked Jareth as he offered her his arm and they began to walk.

 “Okean, is the correct term. But yes, I suppose that’s what they are. They have an entire city under that lake, as well as a floating palace. They are host to the Harvest Festival this season.”

 “Harvest festival? Are we going?” Sarah had always loved all the festivities during fall. Pumpkins, ciders, fires…

 “It’s customary for all monarchs in the Underground to attend. But, if you wish to not attend, then we will not,” Jareth said simply.

 “You’d miss it if I asked you to?” Sarah stopped walking and dropped his arm.

 “Yes,” Jareth answered almost too fast. There wasn’t much of anything he’d deny her. They both looked at one another, lost for any other comments.

 The sun was making its slow decent in the sky, casting beams of bright orange across the land. Sarah wore a long maroon gown that cinched at the waist. Her raven hair shown brightly, as she tucked a piece behind her ear. Her green eyes looked into his for a few precious seconds.

 “I think I’d like to go,” Sarah smiled.

 “Then go we shall,” Jareth returned her smile with ease. “It will be a long walk back to the castle. I can get us there quicker, if you’d like?” He offered her his arm.

 “I wont turn into a bird will I?” she answered smugly slipping her arm through his. Jareth gave a small laugh.

 “No, but it does have its perks,” and with that they disappeared in a dusting a magic.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Over dinner that night, Violet joined them, and Sarah went into a little more detail about the creatures she encounters. She decided again to not get to specific on her rescue details, but violet assured her something like that was a rare occurrence.

 “That being said,” Jareth interjected, “let’s keep your wandering a little closer to home when you are alone?” He felt a tremendous amount of guilt for the danger Sarah was caught up in today. He tried to spend any time he had free with her, but found she did spend a fair amount of her time alone.

 “Yeah, that might be the smart idea,” Sarah answered and poked at a piece of food on her plate.

 Jareth sensed her disappointment and quickly offered up a compromise.

 “But, if you take the carriage, the Market Place should be a safe enough place for you to roam should you feel the need.” Sarah smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

 Violets fork clattered loudly against her plate as she let out a frustrated huff.

 “Violet, are you-?” Jareth started, but his sister cut him short.

 “Fine. I am fine, Jareth,” she answered briskly, all the while folding her hands in her lap. He stood and walked around Sarah’s chair to Violets’. He quickly grabbed her forearm and raised it gently. Her hand trembled the same way Sarah herself had seen it. Jareth shot her an accusing look and released her arm.

 “You said it had stopped,” Jareth crossed his arms and spoke flatly. Sarah watched from around Jareth’s side.

 “It is just a few tremors now and then,” Violet stood and mirrored her brother stance. Sarah thought they couldn’t have looked more related if they had tried in that moment. She pushed her plate away and stood as well.

 “This should have stopped weeks ago,” Jareth was clearly irritated. Seeing the fury on his face, Sarah tried to easy their feud.

 “Well maybe she can see a doctor?”

 As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how invalid they were. Violet was a healer; people came to her to fix their ailments. If violet could have healed herself, she would have by now. There was no one else. The dawning in her eyes must have registered to the siblings, because neither one of them corrected her. Sarah looked back and forth between them, as they appeared to speak silently through each other’s eyes.

 “Excuse me,” Sarah mumbled and quickly left the dining hall. As soon as the door closed behind her, Violet placed her hands on her hips.

 “Happy now?” she jabbed a finger into her brother chest. “You have made her upset.”

 “Me? How?” he exclaimed.

 “I did not want you to make a scene about this,” Violet pointedly held up her hand, which still twitched lightly. Understanding washed over Jareth’s face.

 “You told her,” he sighed and tilted his head back.

 “She figured it out. Honestly Jareth, she solved your Labyrinth. Giver her some credit.”

 His sister had a point. Jareth seemed to be always under estimating her. Although they had fallen into a comfortable routine as of late, Jareth always was on his toes around her. So much had happened, and he was making sure to be as sensitive to Sarah’s predicament as possible. A human learning to live on the underground was a huge adjustment. And now, he had gone and upset her without even noticing.

 “I’ll go and speak with her,” he decided quietly. As he started to pass his sister, she put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

 “Neither of you are at fault for this, “ her eyes pointed to her hands. “I made my own choice, and it could still fade off.”

 “No, I didn’t give you a choice,” Jareth couldn’t look her in the eye.

 “Don’t say that,” Violet scolded. “I chose to heal her, and I do not regret that at all. I’m alright, really Brother.”

 He gave her a soft smile that didn’t reach his eyes, patted her hand, and left the room.

 He silently walked the corridors of the castle, assuming Sarah was in one of several places. He reached the door to her room and knocked lightly. Hearing a shuffling noise, he watched as Sarah cracked the door open several inches. She poked her face within the frame and made no move to let Jareth in.

 “What?” she asked critically. A shining tear rested in the corner of her eye.

 “Violet is all right,” he assured out loud, maybe for both of them.

 “No, she isn’t,” opening the door wider she continued. “I’ve seen that happen to her more then once. And not just with her hands. I’ve seen her loose her balance, or cringe randomly. Something isn’t ‘all right ‘with her, and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Whatever is happening to your sister is _my_ fault.”

 She turned and walked away from the door, plopping down very unladylike in a high backed chair in front of the hearth. Jareth took the open door as an invitation, and sat down in the seat next to her.

 “There is something ailing her. Violet has only ever suffered loss of energy, or maybe a very small tremor after healing someone. There has never been anything as extreme as what she is experiencing now. Yet you are wrong, it is not _your_ fault, it is mine. In the manner I brought you here…I didn’t even ask her. She just did it, and she kept doing it. Every single day.” Jareth covered his face with a hand. “And I let her. I let her drain herself day and night without worrying what consequences she would suffer. I blinded myself.”

 “Violet told me you gave her some of your power? To heal me?” Sarah asked carefully.

 “Yes, she did so much so quickly, and had to keep it up so rigorously, I channeled what I could to her. It left me weak, so I can only imagine what it felt like to her.” The guilt in his voice weighed in heavily.

 Sarah still felt guilty. She knew there was not much of a point in fighting Jareth one it, but the overwhelming weight of the situation kept her from making eye contact with Jareth. Instead, she reached over and rested her hand on top of his.

 “I haven’t thanked you properly. So…thank you. I know I’m terrible to deal with sometimes. I know I’m stubborn, and have nothing to repay you with or even anything to earn my keep with,” she chanced a look at him. “You’ve provided me with everything.” Jareth waved her off.

 “I know you’d much rather be back home,” he pointed up. “You’d rather be working in your book shop, or having dinner with your younger brother. I made a choice for you, a selfish choice. Though I would have done the exact same thing again, given the chance,” he looked her dead in the eyes. Sarah let his words wash over her for a moment as she toyed with a loose thread on her gown.

 “I would have chosen this,” she affirmed. “If I could have. I think I can be fine here. I do miss Toby terribly, more then anything else. Though I can’t complain about the company here, “ she gave his gloved hand a small squeeze. “Though, I don’t think what you did can be called selfish. You and Violet have sacrificed so much…”

 Jareth’s heart raced as he felt the warm of Sarah’s hand on his own. It was a selfish choice. He could have let her be given to the fates, but living while Sarah Williams did not, was unfathomable. Even after her return to the above, his heart ached for her. Watching from afar had only caused the shape of his ache to grow. He’d watch her work, read, sleep. He tried to peek in on her life as little as possible, but sometimes his curious need overwhelmed his sense of restraint. Before he could reason with himself, he let the words fall out of his mouth.

 “Nothing is more valuable to me then your life, Sarah. If I wouldn’t have been able to bring you here, I would have nothing left.”

 Sarah withdrew her hand, and processed her words.

 “That’s silly. You have an entire kingdom to look after, subjects…Violet,” Sarah gave him a bewildered look.

 “All of that would, and can, go on without me, should it have come to that. But it didn’t,” he tried to shush her as he noticed her riling up. Sarah stood from the chair and stood in front of him, arms crossed.

 “That’s just ridiculous! How on earth could you think something like that? We haven’t spoken since I won… before I woke up here!”

 “I told you I checked in on you from time to time. I know quite a bit about you, Sarah.” He stood and brushed a piece of hair from her face. “You like to drink peppermint tea, every night. You like grapes, but only the green kind. You often took Toby to the park near your childhood home. When you sleep, you won’t wear socks, and always have the blanket pulled up to your chin…I could go on.”

 Sarah shuffled back and fort on her feet. How often had he been watching her? Why? Surely he didn’t…

 “You must have been looking through those glass crystals an awful lot,” she quirked an eyebrow. “Can you…can you see anyone you want through those?” Jareth was fairly certain he knew where she was going with this.

 “I can see anyone I’ve met, who will allow it,” with a slight of hand he pulled a crystal orb out of thin air. Sarah watched it roll across his hand.

 “Could I maybe see Toby?” Her eyes pointed at the orb balanced in Jareth’s hands.

 “We could try, if you are certain you want to see him.”

 “Yes, please,” Sarah’s heart skipped at the thought of seeing her brother. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed for either of them exactly.

 “Alright then,” Jareth rolled the orb across his hand once more, before it fogged over. He held it in front of Sarah’s face, and she peered into it carefully. Bit by bit, the mist cleared and the image of a sleeping young man appeared. His untidy blonde hair was just long enough to brush over his eyes. He slept haphazardly with the blankets twisted around his feet. His breathed at an easy rhythm, and Sarah caught the gimps of a small, well worn teddy bear peaking out from under his pillow.

 “Lancelot…” she smiled fondly. Her brother still kept that old raggedy thing. She watched Toby sleep, and a pang of sadness thrummed in time with her own heartbeat. “I wish he could hear me.” Jareth just hummed a noise of assent. Sarah stared for several more moments before the images faded away and the crystal dissolved in his hand.

 Her eyes shone with sadness for just a moment. Then she seemed to get a hold of herself and take a deep breath. Toby was well and safe, and really that’s all she could ever want for him. And if she could only look in on him from time to time, that would have to do for now.

 “Thank you,” Sarah smiled.

 “Of course, precious.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

“The Harvest Festival takes place tomorrow?” Sarah asked Violet over lunch in the gardens. The air was near too cold to be out in, but the sunshine drew them out anyways.

“Correct. I thought my brother would have mentioned it to you by now? It’s one of the biggest celebration’s the kingdoms partake in.”

“He did, he just didn’t elaborate took much,” Sarah popped a grape into her mouth.

“Oh Sarah, it’s wonderful! There’s food, music, dancing…It’s a rare time that everyone can enjoy. Everyone celebrates. The citizens typically take over the Goblin City, while the Nobility takes turns hosting for the gentry each year. The Eau Kingdom is hosting this year, as you know. Your gown is lovely, I stopped by the seamstress yesterday. She had just finished our attire.” Violet looked dreamily ahead. “I adore the Harvest Festival. I’ll be escorted by Ardin, he’s a member of the Goblin Kingdom’s advisors.”

“It sounds like fun,” Sarah admitted. “Am I going with Jareth? Or is he escorting someone else?” Violet let out a musical laugh and pushed a piece of hair from her face.

“Of course you’re attending with him. He’d cut off the arms of anyone else who tried. He’s terribly jealous. I think it will be a fun evening indeed.”

After dinner that night, Sarah made her way to the library. Not long after settling into a book, Jareth stepped into the room. The glow of the candles in the room softened his typically sharp features. He truly was beautiful, that was the only way to describe it. Sarah felt entirely plain in his presence. She closed the book in her lap with a muffled thud and looked at him expectantly. 

“The Harvest Festival is tomorrow eve,” he approached her and offered her his gloved hand. She took it as he gently pulled her to stand. “I’ve been informed I’ve been dreadfully neglectful in asking you to attend as my consort for the evening of the Festival. So, I’d like to ask you now.”

_‘Violet…’_ Sarah scowled half heartedly. He straightened his back a little more and took a short step backwards before bowing ever so slightly from his waist.

“Sarah, I would be honored if you would allow me to escort you as my partner for the celebration tomorrow,” his eyes never left hers as he spoke.

“I would love to,” Sarah smiled entirely too widely. He returned her smile with a Cheshire grin.

“I’m sorry for not asking you sooner, I’ve never had to before,” Jareth tilted his head a bit.

“Really? So being king means you can just swoop in and take whatever lady you’d like to such events?” She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

“Not hardly. I’ve never taken anyone to the Festival before,” he answered solemnly.

“Not ever?” Sarah bewildered.

“Only Violet a handful of years.”

“You make me feel special,” Sarah looked at the floor.

“You are,” he said lifting her chin.

They hovered in that space for a time, neither daring to break eye contact. Before Sarah knew what she was doing, she was leaning into the king, and letting her lips press against his. Her hand slid to rest on his shoulder and feeling him sigh into her advance only made her head swim more. She pulled away slowly took in a fresh breath of air.

“I…” she was at a lost for words.

 Jareth resisted the urge to pull her back into his arms, to run his tongue across where her lips had just been. Was this some dream sent to taunt him? Would he wake up alone in his room? His pulse buzzed in his ears.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jareth said through hooded eyelids. That caused a flush of pink coloring to flood her cheeks. She let out a soft puff of laughter, while took her hand and led them out of the library. He walked her though the halls until they reached her room. He pushed the door open for her and she stepped in the doorway.

“Until tomorrow,” he grinned.

“Until tomorrow” Sarah nodded before tucking behind her door and closing it with a soft click.

Jareth stood at her door a few moments more. How was he supposed to sleep when his heart raced so?


End file.
